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Friday, 4 August 2017

BIAFRA: BIAFRA REFERENDUM IS INEVITABLE - IPOB TALKS TOUGH

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By Chikwas Onu Ikpe | Biafra Writers

August 5, 2017

One of the characteristics of humans is the ability to reason and make decisions, but it is so disheartening that the band of the intelligentsia and the so called political elites in Nigeria have deemed it indecipherable to distinguish between 'referendum' and 'a call for war.'

The error of mistaking a call for a referendum to a call for war pertinently justifies Nigerians' state of poor education, mischievousness and the moral decay that oscillates within the caucus of the 'professors of thought.'

The wild rage of the quest for Biafra referendum is ineluctable. A conciliatory approach would have gone forward to palliating the thorn in the (Nigeria's) flesh, but these political bigots would prefer playing the dictatorial tactics in order to obliterate the anguished cries of the repressed people. These actions have fueled the agitation for Biafra restoration the more and demeaned the argument of 'One Nigeria'.

To begin with, a referendum is that type of vote that is conducted in an attempt to ascertain public opinion towards an issue or event. It is this provision that permits the voters to either accept or reject a public policy measure at a formal election. Advanced countries understand democracy as a political system that is absolutely people-oriented: to adopt, approve, enforce and resolve issues affecting them as a people. To avert unnecessary unrest in a society, this referendum has been implored by many countries as described below.

•Quebec Referendum, 1995:

The 1995 Quebec referendum was the second referendum held on June 12, 1995, to ask voters in the Canadian French-speaking province of Quebec, whether Quebec should proclaim national sovereignty and become an independent country, with the condition precedent of offering a political and economic agreement with Canada. The question was, "Do you agree that Quebec should become sovereign after having made a formal offer to Canada for a new economic and political partnership within the scope of the bill, respecting the future of Quebec?"

A "Yes" result of 49.42% and "No" of 50.58% was achieved.

•Portuguese Abortion Referendum, 2007:

An Abortion referendum that was conducted in Portugal on February 11, 2007, to decide whether a ten-week pregnancy can lawfully be aborted. The question in the referendum was: "Are you in agreement with the decriminalization of the voluntary interruption of pregnancy, if carried out, by the woman's choice in the first ten weeks in a legally authorized health institution?"

Official results of the referendum showed that 59.24% of the Portuguese approved the proposal put on the ballot, while 40.76% rejected it.

A referendum on the Scottish independence from the United Kingdom was conducted on September 18, 2014. The referendum question which voters answered "Yes" or "No" was, "Should Scotland be an independent country?"

The "No" side won, with 55.30% voting against independence and 44.70% voting in favour (YES).

•New Zealand Flag Referendums, 2015 and 2016:

These referendums were conducted by the New Zealand government, respectively on (November 20 - December 11) 2015 and (March 3 - 24) 2016. The question for the first referendum (in 2015) to determine the preferred alternative flag was: "If the New Zealand flag changes, which flag would you prefer?"

Results showed the Silver-fern Flag, hence its adoption; advancing to the second referendum.

In the second referendum, voters were asked to choose between the selected alternative (Silver-fern Flag) and the existing New Zealand flag(with the symbol of Union Jack).

The final decision was to keep the current flag.

•United Kingdom European Union Referendum, 2016:

The United Kingdom European Union membership referendum also known as #Brexit referendum was conducted on June 23, 2016, to gauge support for the country either remaining a member of or leaving, the European Union?"

The referendum resulted in 51.89% of voters voting in favour of leaving the EU, whereas 48.11% rejected it.

The Sovereignty of a State is dependent on egalitarianism, not in the instruments or agents of the government that tend to suppress the people. Hence, all actions pertaining to any constitutional amendment or policy of general application, have to be submitted to the people for ratification and approval by the way of a referendum. That is the very essence of democracy, -"Vox Populi." However, in the case of Nigeria, it has not always existed as a nation. From inception, its inhabitants have been subjected to series of despotic rule; even after being considered a democratic State, Nigeria still runs a very undemocratic system of government.

The aforementioned application of referendums are reasons and evidence that depict the credence and near future of Biafra referendum. Brexit is no different from #Biafrexit.

A referendum is the easiest tool to resolving the trauma inflicted on the habitants of the abominable contraption called Nigeria. If United Nations and the world at large fail to speak up and organise a referendum vote for Biafra exit from Nigeria, then civil unrest is inevitable and another 'Allepo' is set to be created in West Africa.